Author's Note: Yes! Finally, the much-awaited moment has arrived. Hope you guys enjoy this. (*_~)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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The // is equivalent to three consecutive periods. In other words, a pause or an interruption.

Chapter 8: Manifestation

Naruto curled up into a tight ball as an overwhelming sense of nausea flooded his body. Breathing was difficult. In fact, everything was so difficult, because everything was hurting. His skin was crawling, his heart was hammering, his blood was rushing madly about, the sound of which was thundering in his ears.

"Help," Naruto managed to rasp, as he clawed violently at the ground, attempting to ease the sudden ache in his hands.

He grinded his teeth furiously as something seemed to rip apart inside of him. The excruciating pain cruised up his spine and lounged in his throat, but refused to escape as a scream. Instead, Naruto found he had completely lost the ability to speak.

Tears streamed from his face and intermingled with the dirt. Naruto stared blindly at them, realizing with shock that he could no longer focus on the little droplets. His lids fluttered shut and Naruto arched off the ground as a spasm of searing pain racked his body.

As if by some merciful hand of God, Naruto found himself freed of the pain. But this relief became horror, as a mortifying realization finally dawned on him. He had exited his body // or rather his spirit had! Naruto choked back a shaking sob. Whatever was happening to his frail shell of a body, he could no longer feel.

Floating above his own twitching form, Naruto watched as the impossible happened. He saw his body shrinking and expanding simultaneously within mere seconds, as if searching for an ideal shape with which to become. He's eyes widened in fear as he saw the limbs shortened slightly, followed in due times by the rest of his body.

The terrible constriction finally drew a raw scream from the pitiful lips of the blonde boy below. As other changes assaulted his body, both his physical and spiritual forms shed stinging tears.

"Help him // help me // God, someone come. Anybody! Please!" Naruto hollered soundlessly, as he watched the gradual transformation taking over his writhing body.

But his cries of alarm caught in his throat as he saw the end result of his suffering become more stable and, thereby, clearer to him. Those hips // his hips were widening, whereas his waist was curving inwards to form the much appreciated, hourglass figure.

But, what truly made Naruto almost vomit, if spirits were capable of such things, were the growing mounts that had replaced his chest. They had extended, as if from within him, emerging from his skin and lifting up his shirt a fair distance before ceasing to swell.

Morbidly fascinated, Naruto watched as his body adjusted itself, straining to complete the final details. He saw his lashes grow thicker, his facial features more rounded, and his lips become fuller. His skin had also acquired a translucent, opaque colour, tinted with just the lightest touch of pink.

Skimming his eyes downwards, Naruto gasped as he saw the faintest traces of nipples showing through his shirt. Running his eyes up and down the full length of his body, he could not restrain a hoarse cry. If he hadn't witnessed it himself, Naruto would never believe that the // the girl lying below him was in actual fact himself!

Then, as if his limbo state was no longer approved of, Naruto felt a strong force, like that of a suction cup, drawing him downwards, until he came face to face with his own face, a face that he no longer recognized. Naruto immediately closed his eyes. But, mercifully, the process of reentering his body proved painless.

After what felt like eons, Naruto finally allowed his eyes to flutter open, realizing as he did that he was seeing the world once again through Uzumaki Naruto's eyes. Cautiously, he started to rise and was relieved to find that his muscles only ached slightly, despite being put through such a horrendous ordeal.

Resting his weight on one arm, Naruto reached up tentatively with one hand and placed it against his cheek, which felt unnaturally warm. Then trailing his palm downwards, he let it rest firmly on his chest. He found they were a lot fuller than he initially believed them to be. The thought brought a deep flush to his face and Naruto cursed angrily.

Except that only brought him another unexpected surprise. His voice! His voice had changed. It was slightly higher, a lot softer and chimed musically like a whimsical song. Damn! Damn! Damn! Even his mind was affected. When had he ever described anything as whimsical? God he didn't even know what that meant!

His angry thoughts, however, were quickly set aside when from behind him a voice spoke up.

"Naruto? Is that you?"

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They had come running the moment the bloodcurdling cry had erupted, slicing through the air like a vehement dagger. Their quarrel forgotten, the three ninjas had raced back to the training grounds as if pursued by the devil himself.

The sight before them, though, had brought all three to an abrupt stop. Naruto's body lied sprawled in front of them, twisted in so many different angles that the notion of him being alive seemed impossible to consider. But Naruto had surprised them all. His body had twitched as the clumsy fool struggled to sit up.

His movement, however, had allowed them to see the extent of his manifestation and more than a half a dozen gasps were exchanged before Kakashi managed to voice the obvious and yet not so obvious question: Naruto? Is that you?

As neither Sakura nor Sasuke seemed capable of breathing, much less walking, Kakashi was the only one to move forward. Taking small steps at a time, he walked cautiously closer until he was five paces away from the sitting boy // or girl, or whoever it was.

He saw Naruto attempt to rise, only to sway and fall forward. A typical curse escaped those luscious, cherry lips. Yes, this was Naruto all right. No one could speak so vulgarly and yet so righteously at the same time. Kakashi's musing, however, was quickly abandoned when he heard Naruto moan.

"I'm so weak," the boy/girl complained, as a tear rolled from his eye and splattered on the ground.

The sight of that tear broke the trance that had ensnared them and the three hurried to Naruto's side, catching him just as he collapsed into unconsciousness.

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Disbelief

The doctors didn't know what to say when they carried him into the hospital and insisted that he was the infamous Uzumaki Naruto. Inwardly, Kakashi knew they thought he and his students were delirious and suffering from hallucination. However, as they were willing to examine the unconscious Naruto this, for the time being, was enough. He wouldn't and couldn't complain.

Now standing over Naruto's sleeping form, Kakashi finally released a long sigh, a sigh that evidently reflected the moods of his other students. Shifting his lone eye to the fretful, pink-haired gennin, Kakashi watched as she thoughtfully chewed her lips.

Sakura had dragged a chair next to Naruto's bed and was currently holding his // no, her hand. Kakashi had to consistently remind himself that the obnoxious little blonde he had once taught was now an endearing little blonde that he would soon teach. The thought left him both utterly pleased and baffled.

In truth, Kakashi was the not the only one who was baffled. Sasuke was equally if not more perplexed at this change in // well // in everything! Naruto was now a girl and the fact that he was a very attractive girl was not making things any easier.

Damn! Sasuke suddenly realized that all future sparring with this Naruto were out of the question. Sasuke did not understand why he was thinking of the trivial things of all things, but concentrating on his rivalry with Naruto was definitely better than concentrating on the rise and fall of his well-adorned chest.

Sakura was also looking at Naruto's chest, but for a completely different reason. She was watching to make sure that his breathing was normal and not erratic. It hurt her to see the active boy now so pale and lifeless. The heavy guilt she'd tried to bury had resurfaced when Naruto had fainted and she wanted more than anything to make it up to him. So much, in fact, that it was literally paining her.

Naruto, please wake up. You can't make me live with this guilt the rest of my life. Wake up. Please, wake up.

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Naruto yawned loudly and opened his eyes, expecting to see the familiar sight of the cracked ceiling that decorated his apartment. Except his eyes were greeted instead with the pleasant sight of perfectly plastered ceiling. He wondered who was kind enough to fix it for him. He wondered how they'd managed to do it when he was asleep. Then he wondered why his left hand felt so amazingly warm. Ah, this was something he could find an answer to.

Looking to his left, Naruto's eyes fell on the top of Sakura's head, which leaned against his mattress at a slight angle. She was obviously asleep. How sweet! Argh! Sweet? Now why had he called her that? Yes, he had referred to her by a thousand other more endearing terms, but this time that word had come out under a different connotation.

He hadn't meant that Sakura was sweet in any romantic sense, but rather that she was adorable, like a kitten he could pet, or a stuff bear he could cuddle. Kittens? Stuff bears? Cuddling? Those terms didn't exist in Uzumaki Naruto's vocabulary!!! What was happening to him?

Disgusted with himself, Naruto let his eyes roam around the rest of the room. He was surprised to find Sasuke asleep just at the foot of his bed. A further look to his right, reviewed the exhausted face of his sleeping sensei, leaning against the bedpost. They were all here with him. Why?

Perhaps by some mere luck, or misfortune, Naruto happened to glance downwards. The sight he saw sent spittle flying from his mouth. A pretty set of breasts stared back at him, a pretty set of breast that moved when he did and didn't come off when he tugged at them.

Fear welled within Naruto and he let out an ear-splitting scream.

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Muah! Ha! Ha! Ha! This chapter was so much fun to write.